Galery

1

What is the position of Greece regarding the inclusion of Bulgaria into the Schengen area?

At the level of the Head of State, at the ministerial level of domestic and foreign affairs, at all levels, in all my contacts so far I have not heard anyone opposing or setting any additional conditions for its accession to Schengen. We have complete support in this regard and it has been confirmed at the joint meetings held on this topic, including the support of the Justice and Home Affairs Council at the European Union. Greece supports us substantially. The moment we meet all the requirements, Greece is not the country that sets new, non-existent requirements and it does not make obstacles. I do not mean to draw a rosy picture, but we really have the unconditional support of Greece, because we have met the criteria in practice.
    Our entry into the Schengen system is of mutual interest to both countries. Greece supports us not because it is a friendly country, but because it really is in our mutual interest. Channels of cooperation are to be established when this formal border between the two countries is removed. The way from Greece to Central Europe will be fully open with the inclusion of Romania as well. This will further intensify the cooperation between the Bulgarian and Greek institutions.

How do the two countries cooperate to limit illegal immigration?

Much has been done in this direction. There are questions and problems with individual cases sometimes but they are resolved very quickly. We have exchanged representatives of both Ministries of Interior and they are highly active. They have a reputation of police attaches but the name does not correspond to their position, which is much broader. They represent all the powers of an interior ministry, not just of the police.

Culture as an area of ​​cooperation has been much underestimated. The Hellenic Foundation for Culture has had an office in Sofia for several years now. There is no Bulgarian cultural centre in Athens, however. What is the reason?

Yes, there has been some underestimation but due to financial difficulties. Such delays can be expected with the very restrictive fiscal policy pursued in both countries. We can benefit from the experience of Greece in this respect and create a foundation to represent us not only in Greece but also worldwide. Culture, however, is also an area that does not need to be subsidised by the state; it was typical for different times. Yes, we will strive to reach an agreement to create such centres, but I could not say in what form they will develop. It depends on the funding that will be allocated and this is the main issue. Our Ministry of Culture is willing to be very active in this area but it all comes down to funding. Otherwise, there is cultural exchange, visits of groups, exhibitions. There are centres teaching the Bulgarian language, mainly in northern Greece and elsewhere too. We seek to help as far as we can. The Hellenic Foundation for Culture is also involved in organising Greek language courses in Bulgaria. There is an interest obviously. It is our priority to support the Bulgarian Sunday schools here that teach the Bulgarian language, history, geography and literature to the Bulgarian children growing up in Greece. And they are not few.

How do you help them?

The Ministry of Education and Science has a special programme to allocate funds to these schools according to the number of students there. We help with the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad in all other ways. As an Embassy, we try to always be at schools during important events, we maintain the dialogue with them and we are aware of their problems, we help them to contact the relevant institutions in Bulgaria.

During his visit to Athens, President Rosen Plevneliev announced that the government is working on a new strategy for Bulgarians Abroad. Could you say what the main priorities in this strategy will be?

The project is being currently developed. It circulates between the institutions and it is not yet finalised. I would not like to comment on it because I do not know the final version in which it will be released. I hope that it will be the best that can be invented for such a complex Diaspora as the Bulgarian one in the modern times. It includes various Bulgarian communities with very different backgrounds, with different social status, which is different in different countries. I hope this concept will provide the embassies and institutions with the necessary flexibility in order to respond to the specific situation in a particular country rather than being the same for all regardless of where and how the respective Bulgarian group has been formed.